When news of the Nazi invasion of Poland reached China, the church there was stunned.

The world was at war, and China was, at that very moment, under assault from Japan.

On that Sunday, Watchman Nee called his church to prayer, telling them that prayer was a weapon for which there was no defense.

Then, he added these words: “Prayer can do anything God can do.”

Nearly 70 years after Nee’s proclamation, prayer remains just as potent — and that’s good to know. After all, your family today is being bombarded by a constant attack against the very values you hold dear as a Christian. Our secular culture is at war against your marriage and your children, seeking to destroy your home. By deploying the indefensible weapon of prayer in your family’s life, you unleash the very power of God – the limitless capacity of His ability — into your circumstances and relationships.

Daily, consistent prayer in your home will have three immediate benefits.

First, your family will know more closeness, as well as experience more restoration from past hurts, when you prioritize prayer. God created each of us as physical, mental and spiritual entities. When you pray regularly, you are stimulating the spiritual part of your being that all too often rests dormant.

Another wonderful benefit of prayer is that it allows you to take the load off yourself. In order to pray to God, you must exercise faith, and when you pray with faith, you give your needs and burdens to the Lord. As a result, you’ll find yourself under less stress because you are better able to give your pressures to God and trust Him for the outcome.

Finally, active prayer will develop a sense of discipline that carries over to other areas of your life. You’ll find you have increased ability and willpower to establish other good habits — such as consistent exercise, healthy eating and more productive work practices. Positive disciplines in life feed off each other, and prayer is a great place to start that trend.

Here are three basic ways you make the power of prayer a reality for your family:

1. Pray with each other. This builds the sense of spiritual community in your home, the realization you are one as a family and that you serve the same God. When your spouse or child hears you praying for them, it’s just another way for them to know that you care about them. There’s nothing more intimate than praying for a person that you love.

2. Intercede to God for each other. When you’re praying for someone in your family, it’s easier to love them. You become a little more patient with them, and more understanding that they make mistakes, too. Another great benefit of intercessory prayer is that it forces you to find out exactly what’s going on in the lives of those you love. When you pray for your spouse, for instance, you need to learn what his or her needs are so that you can pray for them effectively. That will only have positive results.

3. Pray as a couple for your marriage. With your spouse, you are to have physical, emotional and spiritual intimacy, and praying for one another makes that happen. You are also acknowledging before God that He is in charge of your marriage, and that you are committed to your relationship, regardless of the challenges you may be facing. Praying together, perhaps more than anything else you can do as a couple, will help you keep the vows you made to each other on your wedding day.